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LESSON 2 - ACHILLES' GRIEF - From Homer's Iliad

GREEK ACCENTS

From H. W. Smyth, Greek Grammar, I §§149-188

GENERAL PRINCIPLES,  ANASTROPHE, CHANGE OF ACCENT IN DECLENSION, INFLECTION AND COMPOSITION, PROCLITICS, ENCLITICS

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CHANGE OF ACCENT IN DECLENSION, INFLECTION, AND COMPOSITION

 

176.  When a short ultima of the nominative is lengthened in an oblique case

a. a proparoxytone becomes paroxytone:  θάλαττα θαλάττης, ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπου.

b. a properispomenon becomes paroxytone: μοῦσα μούσης, δῶρον δώρου.

c. an oxytone becomes perispomenon in the genitive and dative of the second declension:  θεός θεοῦ θεῷ θεῶν θεοῖς.

177. When, for a long ultima, a short ultima is substituted in inflection

a. a dissyllabic paroxytone (with penult long by nature) becomes properispomenon: λύ̄ω λῦε.

b. a polysyllabic paroxytone (with penult either long or short) becomes proparoxytone:  παιδεύω παίδευε, πλέκω πλέκομεν.

178. In composition the accent is usually recessive in the case of substantives and adjectives, regularly in the case of verbs: βάσις ἀνάβασις, θεός ἄθεος, λῦε ἀπόλῡε.

a. Proper names having the form of a substantive, adjective, or participle, usually change the accent: Ἔλπις (ἐλπίς), Γλαῦκος (γλαυκός), Γέλων (γελῶν).

b. Special cases will be considered under Declension and Inflection.

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Cf.  Greek pronunciation  (Elpenor's Lesson 1)

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